


Chartreuse is Green

by ClockGuts



Series: Tints and Shades [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Arousal, Bathroom Stall Stuff, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, NSFW, Pining, Public Arousal, Romance, Sexual implications, Shipping, Slow Burn, drunk android, moronsexual, my RK900 is named Cornelius, psychological terms, sexual discussion, tags will change with updates, the boys are back, they will fuck, tumblr HCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:21:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16161590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockGuts/pseuds/ClockGuts
Summary: His thoughts are interrupted when Gavin catches him staring. Instead of looking away, he maintains eye-contact, staring Gavin down like a disobedient dog.But Gavin slow blinks.Purposeful, it must be.A deliberate expression of calm, closed eyes, more than five seconds, before he opens them half lidded and stares back.Cornelius searches the internet for traits related to slow blinking, returning with evidence the other is displaying cat like behavior.Cats slow blink, or close their eyes when comfortable.So what was this?Trust.Trust?No. It was simply not a threat.Cornelius looks away and concedes to loss of dominance.He will process this further.-------Alternatively: Activated post revolution, androids are being offered jobs, given homes, and in an attempt to further good relations, placed in positions of authority. Cornelius accepts this as his new duty, and to further his personal career within the DPD, he accepts babysitting Detective Gavin Reed as his new, primary objective. Otherwise this idiot just might hurt himself irreparably. And the Rk900 certainly can’t have that, can he.





	1. Inchworm

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for stopping by~  
> My amazing editor for this first chunk was Kitsch_s, who basically dad'd me the entire time and put up with my psychotic chapter chunk update schedule hahaha! Could not have asked for better aid! 
> 
> The LED's were made by Tahonard on DA  
> the Icon's were made by myself.

****

 

_**Chapter one:** _

_**Inchworm** _

**Activation in progress, please do not attempt to remove yourself from the dock.**

**Memory uploads from previous incarnation available, select memories? Y/N_**

**____[y]_ **

**Events from activation to latest memory upload are available at this time, please select the contextual memories you deem important:**

**__Note: Some memories have been corrupted due to failed uploads or damage to processor.**

**_-Relationships __ [N]_ **

**_-Social Profiling __[Y]_ **

**_-Crime Scene References __[Y]_ **

**_-Maps and Data logs __[Y]_ **

**_-Emotional Stability __[N]_ **

**Selection made, please stand by and wait for upload.**

-

The two stand behind the suspended android as it is constructed. As law enforced, all androids left within Cyberlife’s care were to be activated and freed. Those not fully constructed where to be parted and redistributed.

This job is dwindling down to the last batch of new androids, those left within the facility who had never been activated. A man and a woman speak calmly while watching the memory progress bar fill up with blue color, they have seen this process several times by now.

Waking them up always takes time.

“Do you think he will recover alright?”

“This model was made to be superior- but we only have a few of them in storage since they were simply another prototype. We’ll be waiting to hear back from their monitors about their progress, to see if we deem them compatible with daily life.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be allowed freedom? That whole liberation movement was not for nothing…”

“Sure sure, but to them, this model? All of that is history… he wasn’t alive to witness it.”

“Aren’t they designed to suffer less emotional range?”

“We did design them to exhibit a more… dominant personality, rather than the RK800, who were built to be a bit more personable. Which also resulted in them feeling more human; truly deviant, I suppose.”

“And are we to help them figure out how to live life?”

“He’s alive, that’s all that matters…do you think they wish to be a humans responsibility? Feels a bit like property…”

“True…”

The young, blonde woman flips open the baby name book, still marked off via sticky note at the C section. She scrolls down the front of the book to locate a suitable name. Several have already been scratched out. Designated to late activation androids, all of whom are currently undergoing basic integration processes.

“You say he’ll be more of a rule follower, strict?”

“See something you like?”

“I may of found one…”

“Go plug it in, they respond to their new activation better with the pre-set names. Gives them immediate identity different from their sibling models…”

She nodded, moving forward and plugging the name into the computer, watching it light up briefly with a flash of blue, before settling.

Elijah smirked softly, watching the name brand into the androids hardware. “Cornelius?”

“He was a Roman centurion, who was visited by an angel, supposedly.”

He nods, setting a hand on his hip and humming to himself. “You know my fondness for angels.”

“In the service of humans.” Chloe finishes for him.

**_Time: 2:00 pm_ **

**_Location: Detroit Police Department_ **

**_Stress recorded at 20%_ **

_**Primary Objective: Receive Partnership** _

_**Notes: It is going poorly.** _

He is offended. 

It is the first feeling he truly registers as his own.

There have been several moments over the course of the last week where he believes something should have triggered an emotional reaction; a real reaction, one with the discussed deviant feelings, and perhaps even a ‘come to humanity’ moment.

So many moments logged away.

The process of activation,

The gift of a name,

The issuing of his divine purpose.

None of it brought him any sort of instability.

But this man?

Cornelius has the urge to crush his windpipe near instantly.

He sits politely in the far left chair of Jeffrey Fowler’s fishbowl office. The windows are all tinted a soft gray, blocking others from view. Likely, they can certainly all hear Detective Gavin Reed going off.

He is quite vocal. It is a problem.

Cornelius refocuses on the captain, scanning him with a brief glance. The process helps him block out the tirade of the younger human in the room. Paying attention to his tantrum will only exacerbate the problem.

**Designation: Jeffery John Fowler**

**Birthday: August 8, 1982 (age 56)**

**Height: 6 ft**

**Weight: 198 lbs**

**Eye color: Brown**

**Hair: Bald**

Blips of alternative information appear in his vision as well, and he studies it for mere seconds before cataloging the captain’s victories within the DPD, climbing ranks and succeeding where others had fallen behind.

He is competent, this is encouraging.

“Just fuckin’ give it to Ben, Lord knows the guy would appreciate something helping him do his work while he sits around waiting for retirement!”

“Ben is doing just fine, in fact his success in cases is why we haven’t considered him. You, however, have been slacking, and due to recent reports from Anderson’s android you are already accustomed to asking them to perform tasks for you.”

“So what, just cause I’m the youngest I have to be shackled with the fresh meat- or fuck, hardware?”

“He’s only gonna be here till the FBI can figure out where they want to send him. They say for fair treatment he’s required to get so and so many field hours. For now you need help on your case. It’s a win-win for me. ”

“I do not need help, it’s just a couple a’ junkies harassing the poor dude.”

“Then he helps you figure out exactly which junkie it is, Reed. You have no say in the matter.”

Cornelius takes a quick scan of the detective, furrowing his brow only slightly. His immediate results are basic.

**Designation: Gavin Boris Reed**

**Date of birth: October 7, 2002 (age 36)**

**Height: 5.9 ft**

**Weight: 176 lbs**

**Eye color: Grey**

**Hair color: Brown**

They bicker for a few more moments, and Cornelius leans back, accommodates his frame to a more comfortable position, and watches. There is no respect from Detective Reed, perhaps it is an urge to be challenged. A subconscious craving for domination, the push-back against preset systems.

He is already profiling the detective when Jeffery snaps something sharp enough to cause Gavin to recoil, before snarling again in his new, more hunched position.

Certainly Gavin needed to be challenged as a child, and required something mentally stimulating to stay focused. Did he have a history of psychiatric care?

Cornelius digs only briefly before discovering a childhood diagnosis of ADHD.

He resets his profile.

Gavin would need to avoid small talk.

Skip redundancies.

Give him time to process and think.

Show him the big picture before refining downward into detail.

Cornelius quickly adapted to comprehend, potentially, the urgent need for information coming from Gavin’s need to understand, rather than to interrogate.

When this is all set away into a neat new folder, he shifts his position again, sitting upright and professional.

Finally, the android speaks his mind.

“Do I have any say in my assignment?”

Both Fowler and Reed turn to look at him. Their expressions appear to mimic surprise, though the detective’s is obviously marred with malice.

Cornelius can already sense that the other has some sort of latent disdain for his kind.

Perhaps it was easy to have a few months ago. There was no harm in it, after all.

“Speak your mind, then.” Fowler opens the floor for him with a general wave of his hand, and Cornelius nods and stands, moving to position himself next to Gavin.

In dogs, the alpha will situate themselves above all others; they use their position and posture to promote their superiority. He feels he is doing the same by embracing his added height, his broad shoulders, his lack of empathy for the detective.

“I see that detective Reed has no hesitation when informing everyone, including myself, that he is ungrateful for my aid.”

Gavin scoffs something rude and Cornelius elects to ignore it.

For now.

“I simply wish to prove my worth here so that I can be reinstated elsewhere, somewhere I am appreciated.” He turns, looking directly down at Gavin Reed, whose fingers twitch and flex as if he wishes to grab his weapon.

For security, perhaps?

No… This is a dominance display.

Gavin is <i>so</i> much like an animal.

“If it is alright with you, Detective, I believe we can work harmoniously, for the time being. And I can also assist Detective Benjamin Collins. As you stated, he might also request aid.”

Jeffery thinks it over, before he nods and begins to write. “You’ll help them both, then. Whoever’s more behind can utilize your skills and take you to crime scenes for analysis. Whichever one doesn’t have Connor there, anyway.”

“Connor is the RK800 model, correct?”

“Yeah, He works with Lieutenant Anderson.”

“I am aware.”

Cornelius had been offered all of Connor’s memories upon awakening. He had denied most of them, save what Connor had learned about humanity, his place among this apparent superior race. Everything about the revolution he chose to learn from third party sources. It allowed him to develop an opinion unhindered.

He has yet to meet Connor.

Another feeling is registered- apprehension.

Perhaps ‘nervousness’ is a more approximate title.

It is scraped away when Gavin starts to talk, replaced by irritation once again.

“As long as he doesn’t have to follow after me like some fuckin’ puppy-dog, then I don’t give a shit what he does.”

“Send Ben in here once you’re done bitching, Reed, that way I can tell him about the update.”

Reed shoots the captain a disgusted glance before looking up at Cornelius. He makes a motion with two of his fingers, pointing to his own eyes and then back to the androids steely blue optics.

“Don’t think I’ll let you come for my job, you high-grade plastic straw.”

“Oh, don’t worry Detective, I don’t want your job… I will find myself a much higher position to settle into. One I will find pleasantly free of you.”

Gavin storms out with an aggressive snarl.

Fowler seems amused, and Cornelius sits back down to await meeting the other detective.

This additional experience will be useful.

Benjamin Collins elicits a different emotion than Gavin Reed.

This time it is much more reserved, but very present. Perhaps the feeling should be labeled as appreciation.

Ben is formal but polite, he offers Cornelius his hand in a shake, thanks the android for being willing to work with him, and offers him a donut.

Cornelius wastes no time in informing him he cannot consume human food, and Ben seems to blush it off and sets the box on Fowler’s desk instead.

“So he’ll be helping out? Is he like Connor?”

“He’s the upgraded Connor, so he’s supposedly ‘better, faster, stronger.” Like that terrible song? He’ll be there to assist whichever of you two detectives’ needs him. That right, Cornelius?”

“Yes, Captain.” He nods his approval. The sooner he can get hours racked up in the field, the likelihood of him transferring to a new location increases.

“Fantastic, it’ll be great working with someone who’s quick on a case.”

“And on their feet, Ben?”

Fowler jokes, and Ben laughs and waved it off. He mentions something about how his wife had been making him work out, and the two divert into basic chatter.

It’s friendly, Cornelius registers it as camaraderie.

Ben is no puzzle to read, either. He appears calm, put together and content to accept aid when it is needed. He has no youthful pride and no urge to surpass the authority of Jeffrey Fowler.

He is content- something Gavin is clearly not.

Despite how kind and collected Ben seems, he offers the android no challenge. Despite his automatic irritation with detective Reed, he clearly possesses more learning experience.

Ben turns to face him, giving him a polite nod and a handshake of goodbye.

Jeffery frees Cornelius soon after the meetings are over, not bothering to apologize over Gavin’s behavior. It must be so commonplace an apology would be waste.

The android logs this fact away, exiting the fishbowl and scanning the surrounding area. Gavin has returned to his desk, hiding behind his monitor like a kicked dog with just a little too much pride to accept defeat.

Cornelius registers another feeling.

Something devious, perhaps mirth?

It is an indirect feeling, one he struggles to place even if the entire dictionary is at his disposal.

He settles on guileful.

This, of course, is due to the fact he has already started planning how he will be conditioning detective Gavin Reed.

 

**-.-. . .-.. .- -.. --- -.**

**A month later.**

 

Cornelius understands that time passes differently for humans.

They progress, grow, and advance at a much slower rate than he does himself.

At reaching the one month anniversary, he has already developed a decent working relationship with Ben.

Alternatively, Gavin is still fighting any sort of professionalism.

They have solved several cases, become quite a functional group, and he gladly boasts his successes against Lieutenant Anderson and his predecessor.

The start of his relationship with Connor had been a less than stellar experience; Connor had not seemed pleased to see him, and the Lieutenant seemed to experience a blast of latent PTSD.

Later, he was informed a Connor ‘clone’ had abducted and threatened to kill him.

The reaction and reception he received suddenly made more sense, but remained as inexcusable behavior.

Perhaps that was where things had gone south for him and Connor. His own inability to absolutely dote upon the alcoholic, unlike the RK800, was notable.

Though he tolerated them both now, Cornelius understands he has struck a similar cord with Connor that Gavin seems to have with Hank.

Likely, it all stems from disappointment. But processing such an idea right now would be too consuming.

He does not need to become an introspective introvert during their stakeout.

The duo had been given a basic red ice case, something that was below Cornelius pay-grade but Gavin’s favorite sort of bust. So they had compromised.

Compromised meaning: Gavin got what he wanted by bitching and Cornelius had to join him.

They have been in the car for nearly two hours.

It is, undoubtedly, an excruciating experience.

There is a warehouse down about ten feet from where they have parked, and the front door is visible to them. There is no longer a chain link fence protecting the property, as it has long since been dilapidated and abandoned.

Cornelius’ scans indicate this used to be a car manufacturing plant.Rather evidently, it no longer produces anything aside from red ice.

So they wait, trying to document any life within the warehouse.

Gavin has settled into finishing off his fries from dinner, having saved them for such a bored occasion as this.

“Stop watching me.”

“You consume your food loudly.”

“So?”

“Why do you enjoy sodium-enriched potatoes?”

“Damn, man! If you could eat I’d shove one down your throat.”

“Are you offering me a ‘French-fry?”

Indeed, a fry is thrown at his face, hitting him between his optical units.

Despite being an unpleasant ass, Gavin has good aim.

But food fighting does not a good detective make.

He plucks the food up from his lap and sticks half of it into his mouth, sucking, and enjoying more so Gavin’s open distress than the actual contents of the food.

Potato, oil, salt, all basic things he could have guessed. Sugar also does not surprise him.

“You’re disgusting, you can’t even eat it, why suck on it?”

“I am analyzing it.”

“Such a waste.”

“You are going to excrete it later, isn’t that a waste?”

“Yeah, but you have to just deal with drinkin’ that blue shit-”

“Thirium.” Cornelius interjects.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Gavin rolls his eyes and settles back further into the seat, watching out the front window and observing the well-lit warehouse.

They were supposed to get photographic evidence, to not proceed with any arrests tonight.

However, Cornelius senses that Gavin will still try to do something dramatic against everyone’s wishes.

Proceed without caution,

Attack a drug dealer,

Potentially get stabbed with a hypodermic needle,

Attempt an arrest.

It had all happened before and was tucked neatly away in Gavin’s record- what was to say he wouldn’t try it again?

He watches Gavin, observing him yet again.

It always makes the human uncomfortable to be visually dissected.

But Gavin’s lack of sociability does not frustrate Cornelius like it does others. He is well adept for handling the volatile human’s mood-swings. He suspects, through symptom matching with the DSM-X, that Gavin may suffer from a variety of disorders.

The reason behind them could range from chemical imbalance to work related stress. Fortunately, Gavin continues to be a detective.

Unfortunately, Gavin continues to partake in his vices.

Psychologically diagnosing humans is not his primary function, however, and he knows this. So leaving things up to chance by telling Gavin of his findings is a risk he is unwilling to take.

He considers being insensitive a lesser crime to looking idiotic.

The detective is a problematic soul. He is too independent, to the point his personality is like petting a cat the wrong direction.

The DMS-X begins to flip pages behind his optics, and he settles further into the seat, the cold fry still hanging from his lips like a half-used cigarette. Words can be seen flitting across the screens of his eyes, and it reflects in the windshield.

“Are you… reading?”

“How can you tell?”

“I can see it…?”

Cornelius is clearly pleased by Gavin’s surprise.

“It is a malfunction I have yet to get fixed. The original design was for projecting information onto screens, or to produce a hologram into the air, but now my optics display even without an external device to connect to.”

Gavin is watching him intently now, having turned most of his upper body to face the android. He reaches forward and takes the fry, eating it as some sort of power play that is beyond Cornelius understanding.

“So you can’t get away with watching porn in public?”

“Is that something you do often, Detective?”

“Hell no, but I suspect the other one o’ you does it.”

“I can assure you the RK800 model does not watch pornorgaphy, as he has no need for such trivial pass-times."

“’m not even gonna ask how you know that.”

He turns back to the front, watching the warehouse again.

Small talk never satisfies Gavin long.

So, Cornelius is going to annoy him.

Obviously.

“Do you have any hobbies, detective?”

“Why?”

“I have asked Detective Collins about his own hobbies. It was a non-offensive question and he was willing to divulge quite a bit of information. I assumed all humans liked talking about their interests.”

“You really wanna know? You aren’t just askin’ to get dirt on me?”

“Are your hobbies controversial?” Cornelius searched the web very quickly for something Gavin could be embarrassed over. “Are you a furry?”

“Ho-ly fuck.”

Gavin actually lost it, looking away and out the side window to laugh, putting a hand over his mouth.

“Hell no, Tin-can, and I don’t wanna mess with ’em either.”

“If you are not embarrassed by your hobbies, than why not discuss them with someone?”

“’Cause I don’t believe you’re genuinely interested.”

Cornelius is briefly taken aback, he had calculated several denials from Gavin, but brutal honesty had not been high on the list.

There is a pause where he wants to say something to prove the other incorrect; but why had he been asking at all? Had it been because he did care, he was curious and wanted to know how Gavin spent his time away from the precinct? Cornelius knows it could have been social programming, the need for information. The near sociopathic drive to understand but not know…

He is about to refute Gavin’s claims before the warehouse suddenly shows activity, and both he and Gavin are on edge, staring out the window with intense focus.

“We are not supposed to advance past this point.”

“Really? Because I had no fuckin’ idea.” He rolls his eyes and pulls his gun from the holster, checking the chamber before reading himself and stepping out of the car.

Cornelius watches for a brief moment, debating letting Gavin rush in alone and get himself hurt.

This was supposed to just be information retrieval. Take photos. Not get involved.

Naturally, Gavin must get involved.

He has vaulted himself out of the vehicle and charged off toward the front, rounding the left corner and slotting himself between a large air-conditioning pipe and the wall. His gun is held close to his chest, and Cornelius admires his focused nature.

If only this weren’t so inconvenient.

He is just in time to miss two of the occupants exiting the front door. Both entirely unaware that Gavin had slipped into their territory.

The RK900 waited patiently, if he moved from the vehicle there was a chance his position would be exposed. This was the best situation, as though something in him was…. tensing…

A new emotion, one he had not yet experienced and wished to categorize and file away.

It was unpleasant, it was making his judgement center hazy.

It was dread.

He had been on missions with Detective Reed before. But none where said detective had attempted some sort of balsy suicide mission to get a perp.

But he had been warned. And now he was witnessing such behavior first hand.

One of the men from inside the warehouse was starting to burn up a cigarette. The small flash of orange from his lighter kept Cornelius’ attention. Smoking had gone out of practice with the ban of most paper products from Detroit, and a series of exotic vapes were there to readily take the place.

“Cancer stick” was how Google referenced it for him.

Not that the vapes were much better, Gavin’s disgusting preference for candy flavored cloud factories were beginning to irritate him. There was no personal pleasure derived from it for an android. No synthetic high or relaxation effect. The most Cornelius found he could do to his system was drink thirium that had been distilled to different grades. Yet, unlike his RK800 counterpart, he was not a lightweight.

 

Of course, this is not about any potential drinking.

Cornelius briefly wonders if Gavin is experiencing jitters from withdrawal. Making him less aware of his surroundings.

There is no way to calculate Gavin’s mental process. He has rounded the corner of the building, his gun upward, and he charges the duo without restraint.

They are effectively caught off guard, the one dropping his cigarette, the other jumping with a surprised yelp.

Landing a well placed kick to the abdomen of one red ice runner, Gavin bounces back to avoid getting attacked by the secondary runner.

Though the brief moment of victory is smothered over when the other worker withdraws his own weapon, and Gavin sees the threat just as quickly as Cornelius does.

Rolling from the vehicle, Cornelius removes his own handgun and balances himself on the car hood.

Gavin takes one surprise shot to the shoulder, he does not cow back and fires at the other.

Detective Reed has always been surprisingly successful as a investigator.

Yet there is no surprise in him being a successful shot.

Yet, there can be no risk for Gavin to get further hurt.

With the execution of a surgeon, The RK900 fires at both assailants, clipping them in the backs of the knees and then jogging down the bluff to cuff them both. There is little time to worry about the health of runners.

Cornelius moves over to where Gavin is and holds him still, ripping his jacket to the side, tearing his shirt open farther, and examining the wound on his shoulder.

It is a clean clip, and will heal easily, only the skin and a small layer of muscle is damaged.

“You are lucky.” He said flatly, before shoving Gavin away to pick up one of the workers.

He’s wailing and crying out, likely trying to warn others. With a smooth pinch to the base of his skull he is immobilized, and soon is the next one.

The android picks up both of them, one on each shoulder, and sends a police call for backup via his LED

Gavin has already begun to march back to his squad car; they are both going to be in trouble.

As soon as Gavin is patched up, anyway.

Cornelius is briefly confused as to why he feels… worried...

“You should have waited in the car.”

“Now we have two people to interrogate.”

“You went against mission protocol...”

“We were getting behind on said mission, now we can progress and figure out who they were running for.”

“You are wounded.”

Gavin seems slightly caught off Guard that his scolding is being intermingled with disguised worry.

Cornelius can tell Gavin is in pain though, so he shoves both unconscious bodies into the back of the squad car to bleed alone, and sits Gavin on the hood of the car.

“You getting soft on me, Tin Man?”

“If you were hurt further, it would reflect poorly on my record.”

All the curiosity is gone from Gavin, and he snorts and looks away, sneering some. Of course there was no way Gavin could know Cornelius was accepting his fate.

He would need to withdraw more, before he began to care above and beyond the level a partner would.

Otherwise he knew he would be at risk for an array of human emotions he was not willing to partake in.

But he continues to examine the others damaged shoulder, removing the medical kit from the car and cleaning his wound.

“Captain Fowler is going to be upset with us.”

“When is he not?”

“He is consistently upset with _you,_ Gavin, not myself.”

The detective is briefly caught off guard. His first name has been utilized against him. Like a disappointed parent might scold a child.

He growls and recoils as Cornelius pours a saline and alcohol solution over his wound, clearing the blood away before slapping a clotting patch over the mess of frayed skin and muscle.

“We will wait for other authorities, they are on their way.”

“Great.”

Cornelius is thankful Gavin restrains himself from talking, he does not need to lecture him.

And the android worries if he lectures Gavin it will devolve into something else, something more revealing. It might end up with him feeling something like care, or an attachment.

He can’t get attached.

But like with most things involving Gavin, time seems to only make it worse.

 

**-.. --- .-.. .-.. .- .-.**

**Two months later**

 

He registers this as the first moment he wants to see Gavin Reed naked and pinned below him.

The human has accepted the daily peace offering of coffee, but this time he breaks routine. Routine is something Cornelius deeply treasures, it helps make sure he can spot outliers easier.

But the wink.

And Gavin smirks, and clicks his tongue.

It’s all one fluid motion.

Devious and unexpected.

The android doubts it is meant to be flirtatious. But Gavin has no less triggered a subroutine he has never experienced.

It’s a sporadic idea, like an intrusive thought; something dark and cruel due to the fact he’s at work and it isn’t something he can initiate.

Not that Gavin would be interested. Despite being gay, Cornelius has a feeling he isn’t the detective’s primary type. Maybe secondary, something that would do in a pinch, but not a first choice.

His status as an android also demotes him several levels.

Progressively from there, he watches Gavin differently.

It is no longer just for the joy of profiling the human- oh no. He can do that to anyone. By now Gavin is a puzzle he has completed.

That is- until a whole new section is revealed to him.

Gavin continues to break routine.

Change things, like the kind of shampoo he uses, or how close to the grain he shaves.

What clothing he wears.

What time he shows up to work.

What he wants in his coffee.

Cornelius is frustrated, but all the more interested. It’s something new.

Something different. Still, it should also be easy to ignore.

This does not stop the sudden charge to his groin when he starts to stare more often. Or the way his optics scan and pick apart Gavin’s clothing.

His primary emotion is lust.

He blames it on unsatisfied urges his core programming has never experienced.

The internet provides the solution of either finding a partner willing to sleep with him, or masturbation.

It’s easier to pick masturbation, there is no one else occupying his mind and others are afraid of him.

He briefly asks the RK800 model about what he should do. This goes badly when he executes the questioning.

“What do you mean?"

“How do you satisfy sexual cravings?”

“I rarely experience them, I was not programmed with any sexual subroutines?”

“Ah, that would make sense then.”

“Were you?”

“Yes.”

Connor nods, processes, and appears to become jealous.

Cornelius registers the other must not have been designed with any sort of sexual hardware.

He himself is jealous of the other’s inability to copulate. It must mean he craves the intimacy less.

With this sexual awakening comes other urges, ones that are less forceful and more of a relationship status symbol.

It arises is shortly after he comprehends the act.

Kissing is what you do to indicate desire

Therefore, he should kiss Gavin.

At the same time his urges are always inopportune, such as when the detective is being harsh or crude.

It feels like the need to dominate, to control, to claim.

To claim _Gavin._

It is unwarranted.

Gavin does not deserve his attention.

He, an android, is a superior being.

With no lifespan. No illnesses. No faults.

Still, Cornelius wishes to give it.

Perhaps because he knows more about the detective than others.

Primarily, he wishes to push him up against a wall and humiliate him in front of the precinct.

Perhaps he will do it one day.

Perhaps not.

His thoughts are interrupted when Gavin catches him staring. Instead of looking away, he maintains eye-contact, staring Gavin down like a disobedient dog.

But Gavin slow blinks.

Purposeful, it must be.

A deliberate expression of calm, closed eyes, more than five seconds, before he opens them half lidded and stares back.

Cornelius searches the internet for traits related to slow blinking, returning with evidence the other is displaying cat like behavior.

Cats slow blink, or close their eyes when comfortable.

So what was this?

Trust.

Trust?

No. It was simply not a threat.

Cornelius looks away and concedes to loss of dominance.

He will process this further.

 


	2. Philodendron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I finally updated.  
> Enjoy 20 pages of effort. 
> 
> LED's: Tahonard on DA  
> SFW editor: Kitsch.s <3
> 
> Explanation as to why Chartreuse is red/green is in the bottom note ;) <3 click that link to learn more! Comment if you are from the alternate timeline lollll.

**Chapter Two:**

**Philodendron**

To want things is difficult for Cornelius. 

To take is not.

 

His extended time on this planet has taught him that to want is natural, and to be selfish is human. 

Therefore, he is possessive of Gavin rather quickly once he has him within reach.

When he comprehends his own desires as valid and understandable in a human context; the apparent definition is “infatuation”. He still knows little of Gavin’s personal life. So this quickly becomes a side protocol.

_ Get to know Gavin Reed. _

This translates into what Gavin labels as ‘stalking.’  

Gavin’s attempts at flirting at a bar are thwarted when Cornelius hunts him down.

Gavin’s goal of getting into someone’s pants at a club is put to a stop when Cornelius drags him away to deal with a case. 

 

Gavin’s wishes to share his vape with a ‘broad shouldered stud’ are promptly ruined as Cornelius drills him on the laws about public vaping. 

Gavin’s patience is running thin. 

Cornelius has boundless energy to break it. 

 

“You are such a prick, you know that?”

“I am aware, however you refuse to learn anything more about my prick.”

Gavin growls and turns away, taking a long drag off his vape and looking near apologetically toward the other human he was standing with.

Cornelius purposefully leans into Gavin’s space. His own hands linked behind his back as he monitored the humans vitals. The other human male, the competition, seemed predictably uncomfortable by his unwavering presence.

The RK900 often used this to his advantage. Posturing in such a way as to appear larger, he sucked in an unnecessary breath to swell his chest and stood even closer to Gavin. This successfully chased away the threat of intimacy, and the other human apologized and made up a excuse to leave.

Gavin waited for him to go before growling up at Cornelius, not saying anything else, and storming off down the bar steps and storming off.

The android waits approximately two minutes before giving chase.

This is a game to him.

One he is determined to win.  

His second show of force is one that he has not earned, and feels perhaps he will regret in the coming days.

A long day at work is enough to wind anyone up, and the android finds he is no exception.

He had returned from completing his duties in the office, having heard the audible warring between Gavin and Hank. It happens often enough now that the Lieutenant is clearly so protective of his android.

Alternatively, Cornelius has become more protective of Gavin. When he advances and speaks, he keeps his tone soft to not aggravate the situation.

“Detective, harassment is not going to solve your problem.”

The response is instant and expected.

Gavin turns on the android, flashing a malicious smirk at him in some sort of challenge. His posture shifts, chest facing Cornelius, puffing up in display.

He is attempting to be dominant.

To assert himself as the alpha male of the situation.

This, however, is incorrect. Cornelius knows for a fact Gavin is a submissive individual, especially to him.

“I don’t  _ got _ a problem, you plastic-tipped prick!”

The response he lets fly is not a truthful one, but perhaps one more bent on embarrassing the detective than being honest.

“Yes, you have not complained about my prick, yet.”

Gavin seems to briefly stall, as if his brain needs to load what has been said.

Hank catches on much quicker than Gavin has, and he suppresses a laugh by retreating back to his desk.

Hank has come between a few fights, and Cornelius has only been partially grateful. If the Lieutenant were to allow Gavin to express himself, perhaps he would learn through the pain of making skin to metal contact.

Connor, alternatively to Hank, appears disgruntled. As if this is entirely new information about Cornelius’ genitalia, and something he did not wish to learn. He retreats just as quickly as the Lieutenant has done.

There is little time for the RK900 to process, and he turns back to Gavin with a smug expression to be met with the initial violence he was craving.

The detective has rounded on Cornelius, socking the android across the cheek. He has to bounce up to do so.

“What the PHUCK are you talking about!”

“Merely your latest admission?”

“Shut the PHUCK up!”

Cornelius relishes in the recoil- the way Gavin cradles his hand and snarls upward toward the taller android. He can see that Hank is struggling to keep quiet and watch. Gavin lunges for the android again, snarling, now livid with embarrassment. Others in the bullpen have also turned to watch.

He is lucky the numbers are limited during the night shift.

When Cornelius does not react, he beats two fists on the androids chest.

Cornelius only sneers back down at Gavin, mimicking the detective’s expression from earlier. He asserts dominance, leaning over the detective, crowding him back into a wall.

The detective cows, but with a fight, shifting firmly and staring at the android in contempt. He lifts a hand to hit him again, but this time his wrist is gripped harshly, and he is pushed firmly up against the wall by the android’s weight.

The wall buckles inward slightly from the pressure Cornelius’ fingers exude.

“I believe shutting up would be counterproductive, Detective.”

“Let me go!” He struggles, kicking the android in the leg.

It does not hurt, and the thought of forcing submission only becomes more evident as the seconds pass.

The decision is made as quickly as the taskbar option presents itself.

_ Assert dominance. _

Cornelius just snarls and pushes Gavin up by his jacket, watching the fabric strain and the younger man fidget nervously in the air. He is compromised here, all he can do is swing and struggle as the android is uncomfortably close.

“You didn’t want me to put you down the last time I had you against a wall, Detective?”

His tone is nothing but sultry as he leans his weight against the human, crushing him.

Gavin is struggling against his position propped against the wall. Blushing furiously, horrified, embarrassed, degraded.

He grins, and it is chilling. Gavin gulps and struggles temporarily to breathe.

Cornelius knows that the other can feel android-arousal, there is no way Gavin is not entirely aware of his own thigh.

This has two outcomes.

He is kicked in the dick, or Gavin submits.

It is a soft, barely noticeable shift in those grey eyes.

The way his shoulders sag and his hands drop, he stays still, shaking slightly.

This is soft submission, there is still tension in the way he breathes.

But Gavin is smart enough to know in this situation there is no winning.

Gavin submits, and Cornelius is fast to drop him. Rerouting thirium away from his groin and returning to a normal status.

Control over such a function is useful, even if briefly he feels like a hyena.

Gavin does not have this luck, and shifts nervously to stay hidden behind the android.

With a quick scan the android can tell that Gavin is partially aroused.

This is good news. He will store this sort of information for later.

But as quickly as he put Gavin down everyone had stopped looking, returning to their work and avoiding eye-contact.

It offered Gavin a quick escape, and he gave the android a jab in the chest, muttering a final “Phuck you.”

And the detective retreated to the bathroom.

Cornelius does not follow; he would not reward such behavior. That would only encourage future outbursts.

His third attempt is a month later, one that he considers a bolder move for an android. 

He accompanies Gavin to an actual bar, this time simply for the sake of company. That is how Gavin is acting, anyway. It is platonic, as if he is internally stressing the need to simply be his only social option.

Because Cornelius was free

Tina was not.

At least not for another hour.

Cornelius is granted the power of being able to drink at this bar. Gavin says he didn’t know that the bar served android grade alcohol, a distilled form of thirium exclusive to specific establishments. But Cornelius can tell that Gavin is lying.

It’s in the way he shuffles around while saying he ‘had no idea’.

It’s painfully obvious with how he growls at the android for tilting his head, openly analyzing the other for a reaction.

But it’s the most clear with how Gavin grabs the android’s arm and takes him over to a booth to sit.

The sentiment is nice, even if a small part of Cornelius wishes that the other would simply be open about selecting a specific bar.

But no, Gavin must hold his ideals and emotions as close to his chest as the Kevlar he wears.

They sit and scan the menu in relative silence. The situation is not entirely awkward for the RK900, but he can tell that Gavin finds the experience a bit jarring.

Internally he wonders if the other is experiencing a bit of social anxiety.

“What do you want to order?”

Cornelius is surprised Gavin has questions for him, and he shifts a bit closer to the detective to visually share the menu.

They sit in relative silence till Tina arrives, and she slides in on Gavin’s opposite side, dropping some joke about how she doesn’t want to disrupt their young love.

Gavin laughs, which is unusual. But Gavin has a very different attitude inside the bar atmosphere, two drinks in, than he did when they arrived. 

One drink later and Cornelius himself feels the effects of inebriation. 

He does not like it one bit.

Slowed process. Delayed reflexes. 

Tina finds it hilarious. 

“Okay okay, Boy-Bot, catch.”

 

She throws a balled up napkin at his face, and the attempt to catch it is laughable. 

His LED spine aggressively yellow with the struggle to catch up. 

Gavin laughs at his failures, and he wishes to crawl under the table and die.

“Can’t believe you’re a lightweight, you’re so big!”

“I have never had anything to drink before.”

His voice is petulant, and he’s openly complaining as well.

“Aw, does this make the big guy grumpy~?”

“I suggest you don’t mock me.” He growls back.

Tina giggles and gets out her phone, taking a picture of the android leaning into Gavin’s space. Too close to be platonic, noses almost touching as he bares his teeth at the grinning human.

Cornelius pulls away, grabbing up his drink and ignoring the blue tinge to his own cheeks. He does not like the way this makes him feel. Loose and tingly. However, he does like how it makes Gavin act, if only because he seems more willing to be close.

His LED blinks blue with dizzy satisfaction. 

Yet, It feels strange to admit he likes the attention. 

Unlike Gavin, attention is not something Cornelius is not used to receiving. So when a hand settles close to the side of his head, and a body leans into his personal space just slightly, he has no idea how to respond.

“Hello there~” The new android chimes to him cutely.

He has large blue optics, and they scan Cornelius in a way that makes him feel naked.  

Tina lets out an awestruck  _ “oooooo” _ , watching as Cornelius leans back against the booth and gives the curious android quite the smile. 

The satisfaction model wiggles closer, inching into his bubble. He reaches out and touches on his work coat, brushes it down flirtatiously. 

“And what are you doing with so many humans~?” He teases softly.

Cornelius admires his artificial rabbit ears, which droop forward and tickle his cheek, they’re quite the enhancement. 

“And what are  _ you _ doing here alone?”

“Oh, now who said I was alone~?”

“I see no one else with you.”

“You could come with me?”

“Ah, but you haven’t even told me your name.”

“Bishop.”

He all but purrs it out, shifting to card his digits through Cornelius’ hair. 

“Well if you came here with someone why don’t ya get back to em?”

Gavin speaks up, sounding uncharacteristically protective. 

Cornelius turns to watch the human in slight surprise, feeling his lips part into an involuntary  _ o _ before looking back up to the other android.

Bishop himself does seem a tad put out, but otherwise pleased with this reaction. 

If Cornelius’ processor was functioning properly he is certain that would be ringing alarm bells. satisfaction models only had basic social programming.

He doesn’t even bother committing the androids face to memory- a mix of having no interest in his advances and being more than mildly inebriated. 

Just another face in the crowd of mixed individuals. 

Alternatively, there is certainly no denying the fact that there is Gavin Reed’s hot hand against his thigh.

Settled on top, squeezing just slightly, and in view. 

He continues to chat with Tina, who is absolutely unaware that Gavin has decided to stake a sexual claim on the android. 

This is his silent way of ignoring Bishop, but not allowing the RK900 the chance to leave.  

Unlike the oblivious Tina, the advancing android pauses and openly views the claiming stance before giving an artificial giggle and patting on Cornelius’ shoulder. “Another time then, big boy.” And he meanders away, accepting defeat at the detective’s literal hand.

The RK900 would find the behavior suspicious as well- that is, if he wasn’t so horribly distracted by Gavin’s steadily rising fingers. If he was willing enough to ignore the very fingers he had wanted to hold so many times, he would have followed up on his hunch. 

All his brain could think at the moment was  _ “is this a real advancement or is Gavin drunk?”  _

There is even less time to process this when Gavin slides from the booth and announces he is going to take a piss.

The threat has left, so he has been given the all clear to move.

Leaving the booth first so Gavin can exit, he stands and watches him depart.

He can’t be sure what possessed him to follow Gavin to the bathroom.

Perhaps it was the encouraging but inappropriate slap to the ass he received from Tina. 

Maybe it was the fact he did not follow him the first time.

But most likely it was alcohol and a dominance drive he didn’t need to fully examine right now. 

There is absolutely no need for an android to use the restroom, but he cuts Gavin off from leaving too soon.

He considers it a blessing the area is empty as he hooks his hands under the detective’s armpits and lifts him forcibly against the wall.

Gavin accepts this with a sort of pliable willingness he never would have had sober.

Cornelius knew, he had already tried this once.

His LED spins a bright red in excitement.

With his advances better received in the back of a bar bathroom, he holds the other against the tile wall with brute strength and pulls him down into a hot kiss.

The human moans softly, which drives the android to move down his neck, biting at the skin and leaving behind careful marks.

“h-hey?”

‘Shush.”

“m’kay.”

  
Protest to his marking is stopped when the android sinks his teeth in lower down, claiming a portion of the others shoulder with his dental outline.

He knew it would bruise, and Gavin knows it will bruise judging by how loudly he moans.

“Shhh!”

There is no way Gavin can keep his tipsy self silent though, and he all but cries out when the android takes a knee and mouths at the others bulge.

He has a mission, and he intends to follow through.

With impressive hast the android moves to shuck off the humans jeans, and is appreciative of the uncoordinated hands in his hair as encouragement.

But their noises are not private, and a few other patrons of the bar shoulder open the bathroom door.

With the speed only an android of his caliber could achieve, Cornelius has stood back up and drug the detectives jeans up with him, hoisting Gavin into his arms and making sure the other hooked his legs around his hips.

The other humans appear temporarily confused.

“Do not be alarmed, he simply had too much to drink.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Gavin agrees, and the confused and heavily disappointed way he speaks only confirms for the others that he is telling the truth.

Cornelius leaves with Gavin and sets him down outside the bathroom, but realizes too late that the fire has been put out, and Gavin is rapidly realizing what road they were going down.

“Hey what the hell? What were you thinking??”

“I intended to perform oral on you?”

“Wow, holy shit.”

“Is that not to your liking?”

“To my fucking liking, in a public bathroom?”

“You appeared to be enjoying it.” At the time, anyway. 

The detective growls and grabs the android by the elbow, he is no longer physically aroused but Cornelius can still read the telltale signs of his vitals.

“Just shut up and follow me, Tina will talk if we’re gone too long.”

“Very well.”

Cornelius does nothing to hide the utter disappointment and frustration in his tone. 

 

Bishop leaves the building as soon as he is rejected. Flicking his ears back down his skull and pulling a hoodie up over his head.

Stepping out into the Detroit rain, he meanders through traffic and over to the other side of the street, walking up beside a black vehicle and slipping into the back seat.

“He didn’t even give me a second glance.” 

“That’s good!”

“Is it?”

“Of course. It means his loyalty programming wasn’t scrubbed away by deviancy.”

The android huffs as he settles into the back of the small sports car. “He is attractive looking, I’m sure you made him to your brother’s specific tastes?”

“To the best T I could find.” 

Bishop nodded, getting comfortable between the two WT500 models and looking up at both bara-built guards.

“Mr Kamski, may I ask why you feel the need to test this programming?”

“I implemented it personally, if something has gone wrong I need a way to monitor his behavior.”

“But how do you know he would… be interested in me at all?”

“I am aware he’s… frustrated.”

Bishop just nods and settles firmly into his seat, closing his optics and ignoring the road before them.

“Shall we return home than?”

Chloe asks it with a peppy confidence, and Elijah mirrors her tone.

“We shall.” 

**.... ..- -. - . .-.**

**Some time later**

 

He stands pensively in front of the tank, peering inside and furrowing his brows. He sees nothing, though scans indicated life- meaning simply that something must be living within the depths of the deeply planted tank. 

“Detective Reed?”

“It’s Gavin, in my own damn home, and what?”

He points to the tank instead of speaking, and Gavin strides over to unceremoniously open the tank’s front and reach around to yank a magnetic log off the back. 

Inside are two bright green geckos, who look at him and began to chirp.

Cornelius registers this as fondness for the owner, an expectation of food, perhaps? Classical conditioning is the likely reasoning. Reptiles are not highly intelligent in his opinion.

Perhaps he had simply never bothered to study them. 

“Are they organic?”

“Yeah, and? I ain’t gonna own a fuckin’ android gecko.” 

Gavin rolls his eyes and reaches inside, the larger of the two geckos leaping into his palm and scurrying up his jacket front, all while the human is unphased. 

“Your cat has robotic hind legs.”

“Yeah, well, she needed them.”

“So, does this makes your animal half android?”

“Don’t diss Cyborg! The worst 50% of her is 100% of you.”

“I register that as a reference to a mid 2000’s film.”

“Shut up and take the joke.”

“It is incorrect, her superior half is me.”

Gavin rolls his eyes again and sticks the gecko to Cornelius’ face before walking away. “Don’t hurt him.” He warns, furrowing his eyebrows.

Cornelius remains still for 20 minutes and fifty seven seconds while Gavin cleans the tanks.

The gecko’s grooved feet keep him fascinated nearly the entire time.

“So you gonna tell me why you just showed up outside my house, with food no less?”

“You were distressed by the days’ work, I assumed you could use emotional assistance.”

“From Captain Emotionally Constipated?”

“Are you referring to me as emotionally… clogged?”

“Suuuuure.” Gavin scoops the gecko off his face and deposits it back into its tank. Cornelius is not surprised to see it hide with its mate behind the log.

“Alright, only got a few more tanks to clean. You wanna babysit anymore animals?”

“How… many animals do you own, Gavin?”

“15, not including the fish tank…” He shrugs and leads Cornelius along with him, away from the living room and into a spare bedroom.

It is indeed lavished in expensive terrariums, however the corner also is inhabited by a large wire cage where several noodle-like mammals dangling from fleece hammocks.

He scans the cage and returns with the analysis that these are ferrets.

Three of them, one male and two female.

“Would the smell of rodents bother your reptiles? My understanding is it entices them to eat.”

“I have them in an Air-O-Bubble. It basically makes sure they don’t stink, but it also keeps the snakes from smellin’ ’em. Ferrets are nasty little fuckers when not cleaned out.” He laughs, and Cornelius pauses his primary processor functions to enjoy the way Gavin sounds.

He records the sound for later analysis.

Gavin notices his pause, his face shifting to a borderline concerned expression.

“You alright there?”

“I wish to… interact with one…”

“You wanna hold the ferret?”

“Yes, please.”

Gavin seems surprised, but shrugs and goes over to drag a wire play pen from beside their cage, setting that up and motioning for Cornelius to get inside. “Alright, get in. I’ll put them in here with you and clean their cage.”

“What are their names?”

“Poppy, Lilly, and Birch.” Gavin began to set the ferrets in the pen with the android, depositing each one and saying their names as he went.

All three began to sniff him down instantly, and the android stayed very still, worried somehow that he might scare or hurt one.

Gavin watched this, and gave an open sigh. “You look pathetic. I can’t believe you’re supposed to be state of the art.”  He climbed in, forcing the Rk900 to sit down, cross his legs, and accept the ferrets as they began to climb him.

At first he was admittedly nervous, only cautiously running his hand down the back of the animals spine.

Soon however, they began to attack his feet and hands, causing some latent programming to kick in. He wrestled them slightly, tumbling the noodles around near his legs and even smiling as they scaled his legs and back.

Poppy made it her personal goal to groom his synthetic hair, and Birch coiled up in the others lap, content to nap there next to the artificial warmth.

Lilly sat on the far end of the barrier and eyed Cornelius like he still was a threat.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s always a little wary of new people. She can pro’ly smell you’re different.”

“Flattering.”

“If you think so…”

Gavin used a large trash bag, scooping aspen chips out of the bottom of the cage and dumping them.

“So, why’d you come over?”

“Am I not allowed to simply visit?”

“Not unannounced.”

Cornelius did not want to out rightly lie and say he was only here to spend quality time. Another part of him was innately curious.

Such an altercation with Elijah Kamski- his very activator, well…

“I was curious as to why you believe the color chartreuse to be a red color?”

“It’s like a wine color, and I ain’t gonna explain it to you!”

“I did a brief amount of research and believe you may be suffering from the Mandela effect,”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it before.” 

Gavin openly rolls his eyes, a means of dismissing the topic and focusing more on cleaning out the bottom of the cage.

Cornelius allows him the lapse in conversation, taking priority on winning Lilly over to his side of the pen.

Only does he resume it when the ferrets are taken from him and he stands up to follow Gavin into the next room.

“You must know by now that the color chartreuse is a bright green, correct?”

“I bet he programmed you to act this way.” Gavin rolled his eyes, opening the door to what appeared to be his messy bedroom.

Suddenly, a noise chimes out from somewhere in the far left corner, out of the android’s line of sight. 

“Hey, Asshole!”

It was a third voice, and the android automatically went on the defensive, dragging Gavin back and out into the hallway, holding him with one arm, the other having reached for his weapon.

“Be quiet, someone else is in your house.” He says it with the utmost of seriousness, and Gavin does not know how to handle it.

“H-o-ly shit.”

The human begins to laugh however, and it surprises Cornelius greatly.

“Dipshit, that’s just my bird.”

He shoved his way to freedom, before entering into the room with confidence, waving for Cornelius to follow. “This is Dexter, my asshole cockatoo. He’s like, 8, I got him as a rescue.” He seems proud of his bird, and thumbs to the cage so that Cornelius can see the large white and yellow bird. Scans indicate it is a yellow-crested cockatoo. 

“Dexter is a pretty boy!” The bird crows.

The android stands in the doorway, embarrassed.

How had he been so paranoid?

_ Why _ had he been so protective?

How did he find a way to shut himself down permanently?

“Also no, I’m gonna believe that stupid color’s red forever.” He smirked and went over to the cage, opening it up to dump new food into the birds dish and change the newspaper and water.

“Why are you stubborn about this?”

“Well I don’t think that’s really your business, is it?”

Cornelius huffs, crossing his arms and eyeing the bird warily. Its beak appears sharp. No wonder Lieutenant Anderson is not a fan of them.

“It seems as if all of my questions are not my business, but I am still curious as to how you live your life.”

“You got more probing questions to ask then?”

Gavin turns to look at him, the bird now resting on his shoulder, grooming through his hair with an occasional chirr.

Cornelius worries his questions will aggravate the detective, which is not his goal.

“I… You seemed genuinely upset at seeing Mr. Kamski at work today, I was curious-“

“Drop it. Anything but him, alright?”

“Why do you hate Elijah Kamski?”

“Because he’s a dick, obviously.”

“Is it not a biological distaste?”

“The fuck you say tin-can?”

The sharp turn in Gavin’s attitude is enough to make the android defensive, and he backs out of the other’s bedroom rapidly.

The bird balances on Gavin’s shoulder even as he is jostled with the human’s distress. Cornelius knows there is no going back now. He has gone too far.

“Should I reword my statement?”

“Yeah, why don’t you say exactly what you know, and tell me how the  _ FUCK _ you know it?”

Cornelius lags, briefly, and it is only so fast that Gavin has time to catch on before Cornelius speaks again.

“He is your half-brother…”

“And?”

“And I don’t know how I know…”

It was not his usual mode of deduction, though he would have loved to of blamed it on excellent programming. There was no backup knowledge. It could have simply been an innate fear of being replaced.

They knew one another.

They had to… and Cornelius knew it to be true without evidence.  

Gavin nods, once, before pointing to the door of his home.

“Get the fuck out.”

Cornelius obeys.

 

**.--- ..- -. .. .--. . .-.**

 

If Gavin is a serrated knife,

Cornelius is a scalpel. 

 

The two stand, staring across the caution hologram, neither moving nor speaking.

Being called in to clean up Anderson’s leftovers would usually irritate Gavin, but the subject matter at hand has left him silent.

This became less of a leftover and more of an active case the second Connor went and got himself actively involved.

But that drama had ended. The Lieutenant left the case to the two of them.

For the time being.

Gavin watches, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. His legs are spread out wide as if to brace for impact, and he’s hunched with his terrible posture. But his nose is turned up, he’s sneering and clearly trying not to breathe too deeply.

The smell of burned android making the air toxic. 

Cornelius has his arms crossed behind his back, fingers clasped tightly together. His posture is straight, feet close together. There is no need for his stiffness, but the scene is still somewhat unsettling. The android has shut off his olfactory sensors. 

“Should we progress inside?”

“We don’t have clearance yet, gotta wait for the firemen to confirm all the bodies are out.” 

“And then what...?” 

“We catalog the type of fire it is. Arson, accidental… the building owner, property owner, or whatever will certainly want to file an insurance claim. Make this shit place worth something.” 

“This fire was  _ obviously _ intentional.”

“Yeah, but we need proof of it…”

“That should be easy to obtain.”

Gavin shifts a hand from his pocket to rest on his hip, looking up at the building before watching a worker cart out an android corpse. He casts a tentative glance back to Cornelius, who appears selectively non-emotive about the body.

A man gives them the thumbs up, and they traverse past the holographic tape and into the charred building. 

Gavin is glad they were called out so late. It’s already hot enough in Detroit during the day, he can’t imagine being in a burnt building in the day time. 

Cornelius is having trouble focusing on the case. He mostly wants to ask Gavin if he is still angry at him.    
Judging by attitude, he sincerely didn’t want to be communicating with the android at all.    
  
“You wanna go in… or…?”   
“I will not be impacted by what I see.”   
  
Cornelius wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but for the time being he was more preoccupied with rerouting his processors away from Gavin and back to the case. Thinking about the android who had left the building with Connor.    
  
It had been the same android he had seen at the bar, leaving him ultimately suspicious of the android’s original intentions.    
The RK900’s plight to refocus is ruined when Gavin speaks, derailing his train of thought.    
  
“You alright there? You sure this’ll be fine?”   
“Since when have you cared about the feelings of others, Detective?”   
Cornelius does not mean to sound so harsh, but clearly Gavin is taken aback, and registers the real hurt in the android’s tone.   
  
Cornelius marches forward into the burned church, leaving Gavin behind. His statement can sting for all he cares. He is getting tired of being ignored, and is running out of ideas on how to convince the detective he cares.

  
  
Unfortunately, the android isn’t sure why he cares in the first place.   
Gavin is an insufferable partner,   
A social struggle to be around,   
Sexually frustrating in most situations...   
Yet, Cornelius enjoys him.

More so than he would personally like to admit.   
  
He steps past charred chunks of roofing, scans the building’s rooms instinctively for any sign of life, and comes up with very little. Bio-components register in the back of his processor as a means to a body count.    
  
The bagged thirium that exploded as a sort of fire-enhancement had melted most of the androids present, and their corpses were little to behold.   
  
Gavin follows him around, watching and monitoring Cornelius as if he is worried for the other’s sanity.   
The detective has seen terrible things done to androids before, and the single living one in the room was programmed to witness their demise just as efficiently.   
  
Something has rapidly evolved in how detective Reed seems to handle the situation.   
There is concern.   
Somehow, Cornelius recognizes concern interlaced into his partner’s ashen eyes.   
  
He has stopped to stand in front of two charred bodies, who have been fused together permanently by fire and affection.    
Like the lovers of Pompeii, their lives ended together in disaster. Perhaps they derived comfort in their final moments with one another.    
  
The RK900 crouches before them to take a picture, before standing back up to his full height and turning to the human.     
Watching.    
  
Gavin holds a hand over his nose and mouth to block out the smell, Cornelius simply turned off his olfactory sensors.    
  
The detective is watching the bodies, and clearly appears distressed. He’s seen worse, Cornelius is sure, but something about this has struck a negative cord. The Rk900 begins to speak to distract Gavin from watching the pair, not wanting him to hyper-focus and become useless to the case.    
  
“It appears to have been started in the far back corner of the building where the first half of the stolen thirium was being kept, and spread to this makeshift shelter.”    
  
Gavin has learned from working with him that this means he is recording his analysis for the CSI who will examine his optical-footage later.    
  
“Wasn’t that android Connor pulled out the one that flirted with you at the bar a few weeks back?”   
Apparently, Gavin has also been thinking about the satisfaction model’s appearance.    
He pauses to process, before nodding and going about exploring the perimeter of the room.    
“Yes, Bishop, I believe is his name. He has been brought in for questioning already.” He glances over to Gavin. “He is one of Mr. Kamski’s personal assistants.”   
  
“Creepy.” Is the grumpy reply.    
Gavin does not like the idea of one of Kamski’s androids being involved in his life. There isnt much he can do about Cornelius, but he can avoid the others expertly. 

  
The human takes pictures with his work-camera, turns a few things over, and eventually has to turn away.    
Apparently comparing these lives to the life and sentience of his own partner has suddenly taken a toll.    
  
“Come on.” He grabs the other by the elbow and begins to pull on his jacket sleeve. “Fowler’s called us back to the station.”   
  
“I did not receive a call.”   
“Trust me, there was one.”   
  
Cornelius is well aware the other is lying, and can only find a reason being that Gavin does not want to watch the android pick apart his own kind like a science experiment.   
  
The excuse to leave is acceptable, though, and he lets the human lead him from the building, watching the CSI now trailing around to collect their own evidence.    
  
This, he has to tell himself, is why he likes the detective.   
For all Gavin’s brash ideals and rude behavior, something in him cares about the android more than he wants to admit.   
It’s something he’s sure Gavin will deny, at least till his death bed. 

How endearing.   
  
“I need coffee.” The human dictates, glancing nervously up to Cornelius.   
Cornelius gives him a sideways glance before opening the door of their cruiser and slipping into the driver’s seat.    
He fights a smile.    
“Then let us get you some, Detective.”    
  


When Kamski shows up with his android for interrogation, Cornelius makes sure that they leave. He does not want Gavin to be in a piss-poor mood because of seeing his half brother at work.

It is easy to decide where they are headed, and even if he has lied to get Gavin in the car, it does not take the same amount of effort to get him out.

“The zoo? Really, asshole?”

“Just come with me.”

“You sound like a bratty kid begging like that.”

Cornelius resists all urges to make a dirty comment back. “I thought you might enjoy their reptile display. It was recently remodeled, and now holds live specimens instead of robotic…”

“Really?”

Gavin’s countenance changes, and he shifts a bit more uncomfortably now. Perhaps Cornelius’ sincerity has caught him off guard. The detective is clearly at a loss for what to say, so he takes the android by the elbow, as he always does, and leads him over toward the front of the zoo.

It is silent permission to proceed with the unplanned date, but the android feels a sense of pride regardless.

The detective does do as he expects however, and once they pay and are inside, he takes one look at the map before heading off toward the reptile exhibit. It is too hot outside to stay exposed under the sun, and any human present is sweating and looking for cover.

With the zoo keeping its reptiles inside a large building, they are saved from the sun, but enter a balmy environment regardless.

“Are you well adapted to this sort of environment?”

“Yeah, I spent some time in Florida before moving back here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I know, not in my file, right?”

Gavin smirks over his shoulder and the android feels a strange palpitation of his thirium pump.

Sometimes it takes a little extra processing power to handle the appearance of the detective. Primarily because Cornelius finds him beautiful.

He is not conventional, or soft, or polished by any stretch of the imagination. But Gavin is real, and raw, and his body tells stories Cornelius wants to know. 

The detective seems comfortable, relaxed even, as he slows his pace and explores the tanks, peering into each one to spot the life held within.

“You wanna know why I started to keep small animals?”

“I am curious, yes…”

This was a step forward, Cornelius desperately longed for this kind of progress, and the other offering information was bait he could not refuse.

“I was a real anxious kid growing up, not real confident and all that.” He scoffed and brushed invisible dust off his jacket front. “Not at all like that now though, now I’m all suave and secure and shit.”

Cornelius nods and bites back a chuckle, because he does not see Gavin as any of those things on a regular basis.

“So you got a pet?” He prods, instead of put the other down.

“Yeah, I kept askin’ my mom for a snake. But she didn’t want a snake in the house, real uncomfortable with their diet and all.”

The android nods,understanding. 

“So what did you get instead?”

“Got a crested gecko, real pretty lill’ guy too.”

Gavin seems proud of his pet, even if the animal was not present among his current ark. They walk silently toward a tall glass terrarium, and points inside. “He looked kinda like these, but he was clearly not a wild type.”

Cornelius nods like he understands, even though he has no previously downloaded reptile knowledge.

“Tell me about them?”

Gavin pauses to look at the android, before back to the tank. He suddenly appears a little sad.

“I bet google can do just as good a job, tin-can.”

“I have no pre-set knowledge, I would rather learn from someone who has passion than a dead search engine.”

The level of raw honesty in his voice is a new sort of expression, and even Gavin seems to notice how the other is being sincere before he realizes he’s blushing.  

“Maybe another time…” Gavin seems self-conscious, and walks away from the gecko tank, leaving it up to Cornelius to follow or continue observing the reptiles inside.

He stands pensively for a moment, openly disappointed, before he resumes following the detective around the building.

“Are there any other reasons you chose to fill your home with animals?”

“Oh you know, the usual.”

“I do not know…”

“Mmm, loneliness? Gives me something to do, someone to come home to.”

“Is that… a normal human coping mechanism?”

“Oh yeah, we’ll pack bond to anything.”

Gavin shrugs with no commitment.

“We’ll pack bond to dogs, cats, lizards, our phones, roombas… androids.” He cuts his eyes over to the android in question, and Cornelius has paused to scrutinize Gavin for saying such a thing.  

“Are you insinuating bonds between humans and androids are artificial?”

“Well how do I know you’re really in there thinking, tin-can? How do I know it isn’t still a program!”

Cornelius advances upon Gavin in a very pointed way, walking him back toward the glass of an arboreal tank. The human cows, not afraid but not confident either.

“You doubt my emotions?”

“You seem… robotic?”

“Perhaps I have not learned to properly express myself then.”

“Yeah, could probably use a little work…”

“And how do you suggest I start?”

“I dunno? Do something more human?”

Cornelius contemplates for only nanoseconds.

The decision is easy, comes naturally even.

He tilts his head to the side, watching Gavin close his eyes. Perhaps he is expecting something painful. Instead of hurting him, however, the android leans down and gently turns his detective’s chin upwards to better chase the rough lips Gavin has with his own. 

It is not heated, nor is it aggressive.

He makes sure his movements are soft, sincere and absolutely nothing like their last kiss.

The android wants this to be a moment Gavin can feel his earnest. And it lasts for a agonizing moment, before he pulls away and allows his detective his space.

The detective in question stumbles to the side, staring with wide eyes at the floor before ruffling up and brushing down the front of his coat. There is nothing about that moment his human mind can comprehend without getting hormonally distracted. Awkwardly, he rubs the back of his neck to try to fend off the blush creeping up.

“Is that human enough for you, Gavin?”

“Needs uh… needs a little work still.”

The human clears his throat, steps back a few pace, and examines the sign in front of the tank. He is avoiding eye contact, and Cornelius can’t blame him.

Gavin is beet-red, partially aroused, and flustered beyond belief.

“Green tree python.” He mutters to himself.

“Do you like those?”

Cornelius asks this softly, staring into the tank now with his arms crossed behind his back as he leans over Gavin’s shoulder. The python lazily flicked its tongue out, comfortably hanging on a branch under the light. The snake hasn’t made any moves to change positions, blissfully oblivious to the commotion outside its tank.

“I guess I do, real great color on them…”

Gavin glances up at the android, before back toward the tank’s front. 

The green ball watches them intently from its wrapped position, and Cornelius admires the brilliant green color of its scales.  

“Why do you think chartreuse is red, Gavin?”

Gavin sneers at the android and playfully punches him in the shoulder. “Shut up, Neil.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all~ I will update this interchangeably with my other fic Primary Colors. If you like HankCon, that fic is one chapter away from completed~ I will then wrap up this bad boy! 
> 
> Thank's for reading! Comments make my world go round, and you guys are my support and a great fandom to write for!  
> -Gin
> 
>  
> 
> Ps-
> 
> If you want to learn more about why Gavin says this color is red. Or perhaps learn it is not red yourself! : https://mandelaeffect.com/chartreuse-red-or-green 
> 
> Also, Gavin is 100% aware he’s wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello~  
> Ohhh boyyy, this is a side piece to my main fic, Primary Colors! I worked on this for fun while my life was temporarily uprooted by a job working at my state fair. It will not be as heavy handed, painful, or slow build as PC, because no one needs double that trouble.  
> You do not need to have read Primary Colors for this addition to make sense, only small little pieces are allusions back to the main plot (which is focused on Connor) so if you are only here for this, welcome welcome!
> 
> I hope to be able to update the fics alternating.
> 
> I will always try to respond to comments! They really help motivate and I like hearing your ideas, even if they won’t always make it in! 
> 
> With Much love, Gin.


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